When I found out that starting from September, class teachers will hold “Conversations about the important”, there were two thoughts: “What will come of this?” finally”.
What will come of this?
The first experiments showed that the initiative was not only interesting, but also useful. “Conversations about the important” – an additional opportunity to talk. And not in the format of an ordinary class hour with a discussion of the pressing problems of class life, but in order to touch on not always simple, but necessary things in communicating with children.
Perhaps the main thing in this for the teacher is to personally feel the topic of the meeting, its meaning, in order to be able to talk about something that seemed not obvious, but read between the lines.
For example, the lesson dedicated to the 165th anniversary of Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky, in my opinion, concerns not only the merits of Konstantin Eduardovich to all mankind in the field of space exploration, but also the ability of each person to overcome difficulties. Indeed, in the case of the life of Konstantin Eduardovich, it was not only overcoming the force of gravity (at first purely theoretical, then implemented in practice), but also a serious personal health problem – deafness.
And such an idea – the transformation of serious problems into surmountable temporary difficulties – is exactly what can be useful for adolescents, as they develop, facing new complex challenges.
Inspiration for future achievements, no matter what (based, among other things, on the outstanding achievements of our compatriots) – this is what I see as the goal of holding “Conversations about the Important”.
Therefore, in my opinion, it is the personal aspect of the meetings that comes to the fore, because only in this case the conversations will turn out to be really important.
Finally
This thought is largely a reflection of my personal expectations of what the school system can be like.
For many years, the school was just a place to gain knowledge, which, of course, is good in itself, but something was missing. Children spend a significant, if not the majority, of their time in school. This is the most important social institution, the influence of which (I’m not afraid to say) everyone experiences for himself all his life. “Conversations about the important” allows you to give more than just knowledge.
This is a chance to talk openly with children about universal and civic values that do not lose their relevance over time.
Vladimir DUBROVSKY, teacher of history and social studies at the Kurchatov School
